Parent-teacher conferences are an ideal opportunity to touch base with your
child’s teacher and establish a supportive and informative relationship.
Effective home-school collaboration benefits students through higher grades,
improved behavior, and more positive attitudes towards themselves and
school. Attending your child’s conference tells your son or daughter that
you care about their education and that school is a priority.
Many schools have regularly scheduled conferences that take place between
two and four times per year. These tend to last a limited amount of time.
Additionally, a parent or teacher may request a conference at any time to
address concerns as they arise.
Preparing for the Parent Teacher Conference
Assemble and review relevant materials. This might include report cards,
test scores, immunization/health records, or home-school correspondences.
Keep material together so that you can add to it periodically and access it
for every school conference or communication.
Talk with your child. Inform your child about the purpose of the meeting
(is it a regularly scheduled conference or related to a specific concern?).
Assure your child that you are working with their teacher to help them
succeed, not to punish them. Ask your child for input regarding questions
to ask or topics to address.
Learn about school policies. Check the student handbook or school website
to review policies related to behavior, attendance, and dress code.
Be familiar with your child’s homework. Know how your child has been
performing on homework assignments. How long does it take to complete? Is
it being turned in? Is your child able to complete assignments with minimal
assistance?
Prepare a list of questions for the teacher. Think of your questions ahead
of time so that you do not feel rushed at the meeting. If you are not able
to get all questions answered in the allotted time, ask the teacher if you
can continue the conversation over phone or e-mail. Some common questions:
Does my child follow school rules? Is my child meeting expectations for
learning and behavior? Is my child struggling in any area? What are my
child’s strengths? Are there materials or resources that you would
recommend we review at home?
Be ready to collaborate. Information about concerns or areas for
improvement are shared not to indicate that your child is bad but to
discover collaborative ways to help him or her improve. At times the
message may come across as placing blame on the parent or child; this is not
likely the intention. Offer to meet further to discuss the concern and work
out a solution. Remember: teachers are often as afraid to deliver difficult
information as parents are to hear it.
During the Conference
Listen carefully. Take notes if necessary. This is particularly helpful if
one parent or caretaker is not able to attend. It also helps you remember
details so that you can ask follow-up questions.
Offer your perspective. Teachers should know your child’s activities or
behaviors at home relevant to school issues as well as your views on your
child’s strengths and needs.
Ask for positive information about your child. If the teacher does not
offer it directly, then ask, “What does my child do well?” If you have
them, share positive comments about and with the teacher as well. Let them
know that you appreciate what they are doing for your child.
Ask questions. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or for clarifications.
Teachers, at times, may use academic or instructional language that is not
familiar to parents. Ask what test scores mean and what the results mean
for your child. Ask for explanation of unfamiliar terms.
